House Rules

The Rule of Cool

The limit of the Willing Suspension of Disbelief for a given element is directly proportional to the element’s awesomeness. If it’s fun, funny, or cool try it. Being awesome trumps RAW.

Rolling Ability Scores

Roll four six sided dice, reroll any 1’s or 2’s. Record the total of the three highest dice and repeat five more times. If you do not like the ability scores generated, you may discard the entire set and reroll them, but you have to take the new results.

Hit Dice

Leveling up

If your hit die roll is less than the number in parenthesis next to the die in the “Hit Points at Higher Levels” entry under your class’ features section instead take the number in parenthesis minus one. For example, a Fighter uses d10’s. If they roll a 5 or lower, their hit points would go up by 5 plus their constitution modifier for that level.

Regaining Spent Hit Dice After a Long Rest

Instead of regaining half your total hit dice after a long rest, you regain all spent hit dice.

Player Versus Player

Character interaction requires the consent of both players. In a situation where both players are willing to participate, a roll will be called for to determine the outcome, if needed, and the scene will play out as normal. However if one player does not want the action to happen, it does not. The intention is not to prevent pranks, rivalries, or any kind of fun interactions, but to preserve each player’s ownership of their character’s actions.

For example, Gnasher the Orc Barbarian wants to knock over Deekun the Kobold Bard’s riding donkey Cappy with him on it. If Eddie, Deekun’s player, says thinks he’s got it coming because of a recent salmon based pun, Danielle, Gnasher’s player, can roll a strength check to attempt the feat. If Eddie doesn’t feel comfortable with that level of violence though, Gnasher tries to knock the donkey and rider over, but the mule shifts and Gnasher’s energy just causes the animal to sidestep a bit.

The X Card

An index card will be be provided at the beginning of each session bearing a large, black X. At any point during the session a player who feels uncomfortable by the events, descriptions, or actions occurring at the table can hold up the card and we will skip over whatever is currently going on. This is to ensure descriptions of events, actions, or scenery don’t make anyone feel anxious or uncomfortable.

Dice Rollers

Electronics at the table are fine. Feel free to track your character on a laptop, look up rules on a tablet, or browse reddit on your phone when your character is out of focus. The only caveat to that is I ask you don't use them to make dice rolls for your character.

Cheating Policy

Cheating takes the fun out of the game for everyone. To combat this I use a three strike policy. The first strike is a warning. On the second strike I will remake your character using only the D&D Basic Rules and advance your character, using just those rules, for the duration of the campaign. The third strike is expulsion from the group.

Safe Attack

You may choose, before making an attack roll, to attack safely. Attacking safely removes the chance of automatic failure on a 1, but the attack cannot critically hit, even if an ability, feature, or spell says it does. Automatic successes and failures only applies to attacks, so this has no effect on other rolls.

Torches

Lighting a Torch

Lighting a torch requires 1 action to retrieve the torch, 1 action to retrieve and prepare the flint and tinder, and lighting the torch consumes 20 feet of your movement for a turn. If you speed is slower than 20 feet, all of your movement is consumed. A torch cannot be lit in inclement weather, but will stay lit if exposed to it.

Quick-lite Torches

Quick-lite Torches are available from most merchants at a cost of 1gp each. Quick-lite torches contain a small amount of alchemist fire and only require 1 action to retrieve and light. If the torch is already in hand, it can be lit as part of your move action.

Skill Checks

Failed Social Checks

Failing a charisma check to convince, deceive, or intimidate an NPC imposes disadvantage on all subsequent charisma checks made to influence that NPC by that character and their allies for the duration of the encounter.

Homebrew Content

In the interest of game balance and fairness, no 3rd party (non-WotC) or homebrew content is allowed outside of Cardinia specific content, like new half races.

Variant And Optional Rules

To simplify running and playing the game, speed up game play, and to make my life easier preparing encounters and challenges, we will not be using any variant or optional rules such as feats, multiclassing, death from massive damage (system shock), or firearms. Exceptions can be made on a case by case basis if you discuss it with me.

Sourcebooks

Any published Wizards of the Coast sourcebook may be used except for the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide. Content from The Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, any published adventures, unearthed arcana, or special publications (like the Tortle Package), may be used on a case by case basis if you discuss it with me.